One of the few nice things about the college football off-season and the associated derth of important and/or interesting topics to discuss, is the opportunity to expend limited brain power pondering some rather frivolous, off-the-cuff, theoretical questions. To this end, I'd like to throw out the following question for discussion: Does Alabama represent the pinnacle of college football?
For purposes of discussion, I believe a case could be made that the Alabama program is today in precisely the same circumstance it found itself 50 years ago. Specifically, a traditional powerhouse coming off a number of very "down" years, but now led by arguably the most charismatic, capable and driven head coach in all of NCAA division 1A football. Like 50 years ago, Auburn was enjoying very atypical success and most of the nation had written off Bama as a dead and buried giant that (thankfully) could never, ever return to dominate the SEC and consistantly challenge for national championships.
Fifty years ago, Alabama didn't really have to worry about losing it's superstar head coach because of his love of the college game and deep personal attachment to the university that plucked him from abject poverty and provided an opportunity to get an education, learn the game of football and become the person he was. Paul Bryant only once ever considered leaving the Capstone and that was to coach in the NFL's Miami Dolphins for a then unheard-of million dollar contract. In the end, Bryant's love of Alabama wouldn't allow him to leave, but what about Saban?
Saban has a burning desire to be the best and that inner desire led him to the NFL, where he discovered the GM-driven professional system of salary caps and free agency effectively negated his greatest strength: Specifically the ability to build a team by amassing substantially greater talent than the competition by consistantly out-working them. He also found out that it's much harder to coach players that make more than you and the ancilliary personal satisfaction he got by molding character of young men was totally absent. As such, I firmly believe Saban will never again be tempted to bolt for the NFL.
However, would Saban ever leave Alabama for another college program? Personally, I think not because Alabama is the pinnacle of college football. Saban wants to be remembered as the best, to achieve this status, you have to compete against the best and the best definately reside within the SEC.
What is more, within the SEC, no program possesses a more storied history and no other SEC school boasts a larger fan base or more dedicated, knowledgeable or fanatical following. While the national media may have thought 93,000 plus at A-day were simply there to see their program's new coach, in actuality, the bamanation came out in force to illustrate to Saban that no matter what he might of thought of LSU or the SEC before taking the Bama job, that the capital of the college football world is Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The bamanation wanted to send a clear message to Saban that being coach at Alabama is as high as it gets in all of college football and that if he wants to win championships, Tuscaloosa gives him all the prestige, passion, money, fan support, facilities and storied history he could handle.
While other programs like Oklahoma, Texas, Notre Dame, Michigan, Southern Cal and Ohio State have much history and indisputable powerhouse status, the simple fact is that Bama has all that AND the chance to play in the very best conference in the nation week in and week out. Yes, LSU, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida are great teams, but anybody who knows college football knows that ALABAMA represents the heart, soul and is the grand-daddy of SEC programs.
Saban knows this too. He also knows he has the opportunity to add his own championship legacy at a place where college football has been king for more than 100 years. Saban will stay at Bama until he retires and win championships at Alabama because he is the best and he has arrived at the pinnacle of college football. Bryant knew there was no place better than Bama and Saban is realizing that too. Saban has explored first hand the talent-laden recruiting grounds that lie within his adopted state border and also witnessed the powerful alure represented by the chance to don that "crimson jersey". Already, Saban has kids mentioning the chance to play for him as the reason they chose to come to Alabama and the last guy who managed that feat was pretty darn special.
Agree? RTR.
For purposes of discussion, I believe a case could be made that the Alabama program is today in precisely the same circumstance it found itself 50 years ago. Specifically, a traditional powerhouse coming off a number of very "down" years, but now led by arguably the most charismatic, capable and driven head coach in all of NCAA division 1A football. Like 50 years ago, Auburn was enjoying very atypical success and most of the nation had written off Bama as a dead and buried giant that (thankfully) could never, ever return to dominate the SEC and consistantly challenge for national championships.
Fifty years ago, Alabama didn't really have to worry about losing it's superstar head coach because of his love of the college game and deep personal attachment to the university that plucked him from abject poverty and provided an opportunity to get an education, learn the game of football and become the person he was. Paul Bryant only once ever considered leaving the Capstone and that was to coach in the NFL's Miami Dolphins for a then unheard-of million dollar contract. In the end, Bryant's love of Alabama wouldn't allow him to leave, but what about Saban?
Saban has a burning desire to be the best and that inner desire led him to the NFL, where he discovered the GM-driven professional system of salary caps and free agency effectively negated his greatest strength: Specifically the ability to build a team by amassing substantially greater talent than the competition by consistantly out-working them. He also found out that it's much harder to coach players that make more than you and the ancilliary personal satisfaction he got by molding character of young men was totally absent. As such, I firmly believe Saban will never again be tempted to bolt for the NFL.
However, would Saban ever leave Alabama for another college program? Personally, I think not because Alabama is the pinnacle of college football. Saban wants to be remembered as the best, to achieve this status, you have to compete against the best and the best definately reside within the SEC.
What is more, within the SEC, no program possesses a more storied history and no other SEC school boasts a larger fan base or more dedicated, knowledgeable or fanatical following. While the national media may have thought 93,000 plus at A-day were simply there to see their program's new coach, in actuality, the bamanation came out in force to illustrate to Saban that no matter what he might of thought of LSU or the SEC before taking the Bama job, that the capital of the college football world is Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The bamanation wanted to send a clear message to Saban that being coach at Alabama is as high as it gets in all of college football and that if he wants to win championships, Tuscaloosa gives him all the prestige, passion, money, fan support, facilities and storied history he could handle.
While other programs like Oklahoma, Texas, Notre Dame, Michigan, Southern Cal and Ohio State have much history and indisputable powerhouse status, the simple fact is that Bama has all that AND the chance to play in the very best conference in the nation week in and week out. Yes, LSU, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida are great teams, but anybody who knows college football knows that ALABAMA represents the heart, soul and is the grand-daddy of SEC programs.
Saban knows this too. He also knows he has the opportunity to add his own championship legacy at a place where college football has been king for more than 100 years. Saban will stay at Bama until he retires and win championships at Alabama because he is the best and he has arrived at the pinnacle of college football. Bryant knew there was no place better than Bama and Saban is realizing that too. Saban has explored first hand the talent-laden recruiting grounds that lie within his adopted state border and also witnessed the powerful alure represented by the chance to don that "crimson jersey". Already, Saban has kids mentioning the chance to play for him as the reason they chose to come to Alabama and the last guy who managed that feat was pretty darn special.
Agree? RTR.
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DT_Armataz_57:
